The Andover Arms, Hammersmith, W6

An excellent back-street Fullers pub ably described by those before. The welcome was warm, the service efficient, the beers well-kept and the food - despite having a chaotic effect on my diet - was most excellent. With regard to the snob screens, I am positive they are reproductions as the quality of construction is not up to Victorian standards of pub furniture and also there is no evidence in the current bar woodwork of former partitions, which would have been a given if snob screens were actually in use.

This is a smart and well hidden back street Fullers pub. You enter into the main bar area, which is L shaped with bare floorboards, loads of bar stools along the dark wood servery and some standard seating with a mix of nice tables around the perimeter of the room. The servery interestingly has a small section of snob screens, which I would like to think are original, although they do look a bit odd in their isolated state. The whole bar area was lit by fairy lights on my early evening visit, which sounds quite naff, but actually created quite a pleasant effect and this subdued lighting sat nicely with the dark wood surrounds, creating a warm, restful ambiance. The room extends to the right where there is a fairly unmemorable seating area with some rugs on the floor and a lot of small pictures on the walls, whilst to the left the room extends to a rear dining room with skylights and a small lit fireplace. The décor is fairly eclectic with an ancient looking grandfather clock vying for attention with a flat screen TV (which was thankfully turned off), an upright piano and a large wood pile. A music hall style soundtrack played throughout my stay which seemed to fit in very nicely with the overall feel of the pub. Various bar snacks were available on the bar counter including a big jar of pickled eggs, whilst the day’s newspapers were stacked in the front windowsill. Three Fullers beers were on during my stay – London Pride, Chiswick and Jack Frost – plus a guest in the shape of Arkells Wiltshire Gold. I gave the latter a try and was pleased to receive a tasty and well kept pint from the very friendly and welcoming staff. I thought this pub was very classy and had a clear vision of how it should present itself. There are plenty of back street Fullers pubs across the capital, many of which fail to register in the memory, but this place really stood out for me and I would look it up again the next time I’m in Hammersmith.